THE SHORT HURDLES

BY: KATHLEEN RASKE SPARREY

The
following paper has some information about the training of the "Youth Hurdler
Ages 14-17". Where you read this substitute "Beginning Hurdler with a training
age of 1 to 4 years". Some of the speeds and times may be different, but the
training theory is pretty much the same regardless of chronological age.

DEVELOPMENT OF ELITE
HURDLERS:

ASSESSMENT OF THEINDIVIDUAL ATHLETE

FROM: IDENTIFYING AND TRAINING ELITE HURDLERS IN
THE UNITED STATES

How does this relate to the development of the individual hurdler? Once talent
is identified, the coach should determine the individual strengths and weakness
of each athlete.

The Profile

When
the athlete first enters the college program, the coach should build a complete
athlete profile. This should include a complete history, current status, and
goal setting. I utilize a questionnaire format for the athletes to fill out).
Questions asked are directed at attaining the most useful information for the
coach to develop his/her individual training program. It should also take a
holistic approach, looking not only at physical facts, but also psychological
information, with the concept that mind and body must work together, train
together, and learn together . A psychological
overview is critical to the coach in both the planning and interaction points of
view. Questionable motivations, dysfunctional backgrounds, coaching changes,
negative behavior, traumatic experiences, etc., are key components that can
sabotage even the best teaching approaches.

Testing

Coaches will be able to determine their athletes' strengths and weaknesses through a series of testing parameters. Testing also serves to identify talent, motivate athletes, and predict performance. I use the following tests:

It has been found that leg power is a primary determinant of track and field
performance (Henson, 1993). Thus, leg power tests are useful; however, you must
choose testing parameters that you feel are pertinent to your program. The coach
must keep accurate records, be consistent with regards to when tests are
performed, as well as how tests are administered or testing will be useless to
you. You can then compare over time who are the best athletes, predict
performance, or assess your training program.

Test Analysis

It
is important for the coach to be able to interpret the results. Coaches can
utilize test results in different ways. There are many normative, elite, and
"sedentary" tables that a coach can use for comparison. One way is to assign
scores to each performance and add them together to get a total score, using
tables such as The Hungarian Tables (i.e., quadrangular test). Here you are able
to identify talent and predict performances. With athletes who are already
involved in your program, you can compare the results from one season to the
next or from one month to the next to determine the effects of your training
program. If athletes are recording a steady progression over time, development
is evident and the program is effective. If the athlete is not progressing, then
one must identify the problem area and change the programming.

Problems of the Youth Hurdler (Ages
14-17)

The
following is a list of common problems in hurdle development that I experience
with the high school age athlete:

Under-development
biomotor abilities/lack of overall fitness. Fitness is the ability of the
athlete to function efficiently and effectively in the specific demands of
training and performance (Sands, 1995). This includes lack of cardiovascular
base, work capacity, flexibility (especially in boys), postural/general
strength, local muscular endurance, and coordination. There appears to be
little exposure to strength training in these years, as well as rehearsed
coordinated movements. Many speculate that this is due to the lack of physical
education requirements in the grade school systems.

Training
age is very young: Training age is the number of years preparing specifically
for the hurdles. The exposure to the hurdle events is perhaps occurring too
late. This could be due to the absence of hurdle coaching or perhaps because
they were not identified and encouraged to participate in the hurdle events
early on.

Lack
of takeoff mechanics and rhythm. Rhythm refers to a three- step pattern
performed between hurdles or one's ability to display running speed and
hurdling technique simultaneously. The high school athlete tends to run flat-
footed and thus hurdle flat-footed. The athlete cannot stay in "hips tall"
position and on the balls of the feet for a long period of time. The result is
poor preparation for takeoff and inability to raise the center of mass and,
hence, drive the center of mass through the hurdle. As a result, optimal
hurdle rhythm is not obtained.

DEVELOPMENT OF ELITE
HURDLERS:

PLANNING ANDORGANIZATION OF TRAINING

Four-Year Programming

Refined
hurdling skill requires years of training directed toward development of
strength, quickness, coordination, flexibility, and rhythm. These are the
foundations of performance. The coach must know how to develop the biomotor
abilities in the most efficient and effective ways given the age, current
fitness levels, talents, and aspirations of the athlete. The coach should have
an idea of what level can be attained by the individual athlete in the long
term, such as two to four years down the road. If it is probable that an athlete
will be involved in your program for more than two years, the development of the
hurdler should be viewed as a two- or four-year project. The concept of
periodization/planning a training program is essential for progress. It should
be 80 per cent thinking and 20 per cent doing, for planning is the key to
long-term success! The following is an overview
of a four-year program for the college hurdler.

First
Year Objectives (" Adjustment"):

Develop
all five biomotor abilities, with emphasis on overall fitness and
general/postural strength. Address the weak areas
first! Transition into college
life-establishment of productive lifestyle management, and academic
success. Empower athletes with knowledge of the
hurdle events; teach them to be a student of the sport. Here it is 75 per cent
teaching from the coach and 25 per cent feedback from the athlete.

Second
Year Objectives ("Strength"): Continued
development of five biomotor abilities, with a continued emphasis on overall
fitness and strength. Continue to teach athlete
hurdle technique and race modeling; have him/her participate in program
development. Here it is 60 per cent coach and 40 per cent
athlete. Skill acquisition-this is where I see the
most kinesthetic landmarks or "hot spots" in hurdle development. The sophomore
transition is an exciting one for me because I see huge gains during this
year! Focus on strength development in the weight
room. Athletes need to truly begin to challenge themselves!

Third
Year Objectives ("Speed"):

Progress in developing the biomotor abilities. Athlete's overall fitness and
strength should be well established during this
year. Athlete should be knowledgeable in his event,
so much so that he is able to, in essence, "coach himself." Here it is 50 per
cent coach and 50 per cent athlete. Focus is on speed
over the hurdles and development of top speed.

Fourth
Year Objectives ("Skill"):

Development in all five biomotor abilities; should reflect the previous three
year's progression. Athlete's knowledge level at its
highest; can coach himself or others and have an "educated eye." Here it is 25
per cent coach and 75 per cent athlete, if you've done your
job. Top progression-athlete attains highest level of
performance possible. Skill acquisition is the
highest. Focus on getting to that next level by introducing most advanced hurdle
drills/methods. Adhering to the fundamentals of
sprint training principles and exercise selection principles throughout the
program, easy to hard and part to whole is absolutely critical. However, skill
acquisition must be sequenced through a series of exercises that are simple to
complex, easy to hard and part or
whole. Coaches should remember that hurdling is
a complex motor skill and involves a fear factor, so "chaining" and "shaping" to
modify form/technique should be utilized. For example, the coach should use
stages of hurdle drills for skill acquisition such as starting with runs over
sticks or pizza boxes placed on the track with a discounted three-step stride
pattern that allows the athlete to sprint between "hurdles" to develop rhythm.
Then implement a gradual increase of hurdle height and distance at the
appropriate times. Another example would be to start hurdles with
stationary/in-place hurdle drills, then advance to walking/skipping drills, and
finally to running/rhythm drills. The coach
should also be cognizant of "chaining," which refers to the strategy in which
the teachable components (or links) in the chain are reinforced in a specific
order, or sequence, to form more complex behavior that ultimately occurs as
single cohesive performance (Sherman, 1995). In
other words, divide hurdle tasks into smaller steps and arrange in sequence for
instruction, appropriate for the level of that particular athlete. For example,
use side-of-the- hurdle drills to isolate trail or lead leg actions. The coach
and athlete should use a detailed task analysis for skill acquisition to
discriminate correct or incorrect movements. It
should be noted that sequencing should be used in developing all five biomotor
abilities in the annual plan.

The athletes who have started hurdling specialization at an older age (14-17),
after being in a sport other than track and field, and who are also relatively
physically developed and coordinated, can go through an accelerated learning
process (Korchemny, 1996). The coach must first address the weak areas of the
hurdler. Overall fitness and improvement of biomotor abilities (strength, skill,
suppleness, stamina, speed) to build base foundation should be a priority;
however, an introduction to hurdling can occur during this stage of development.
Modified hurdling with a focus on rhythmic units can be introduced. The junior
hurdler should rehearse a variety of hurdling skills using barriers of different
heights and distances. For example, she should practice hurdle technique over
24-30 inch barriers and run distances that facilitate fast execution of a
three-step rhythm. Whether the athlete is in
high school, college, or post-college, a combination of hurdle drills should be
utilized (stationary-marching- running). Hurdle drills are very important to the
advancement of mechanical proficiency by improving hip, knee, and ankle joint
mobility, along with rhythm specialization. During the base preparation period a
higher volume of drills (200-225 hurdle movements per session) are used with
more emphasis on stationary and marching drills. During the pre-competitive and
competitive periods, marching and running drills are employed (75-125), mostly
performed in the warm up. Lastly, during
the competitive period, the focus is on horizontal speed and technical
perfection in the running and rhythm hurdle drills. It should be noted that
hurdler rhythm endurance needs to get special attention during the competitive
period, thus hurdlers need to run over 12-14 hurdles that are discounted
throughout. With regard to running both
hurdles, it is my philosophy that a 400 hurdler should also train and compete in
the 100H (remember that this cannot work both ways). This will enable long
hurdlers to become much more technically efficient and better train their
strengths. During the indoor season, have them run the 200 and the 55H. Always
remember that the greatest difference in the 400H is the metabolic
challenge!

Guidelines for the Annual Plan

Use
of sequencing in your training program should also be applied to mesocycles
(Bompa, 1990). This can be referred to as "block training." A block of training
generally lasts four to six weeks. Each block should have an attached theme, for
example, "work capacity" or "strength" or "speed." Within this block,
regeneration and recovery must be planned. For example, gradually increase the
workload over a three-week period, then "unload" on the fourth week.
Regeneration must receive special attention to avoid overtraining. Almost half
of the athlete's success will depend on
recovery! A multilateral approach to training
must be employed in the annual plan. Multilateral training simply refers to
applying a variety of exercises to the training program. This is the "spice of
life" method of training to maintain an overall balance. Failure to balance
training will lead to injury, a detraining effect, and an improper peak. A coach
cannot over-specialize for a long period of time, and improvement of the
biomotor capacities should be viewed as long term. Varying the practices and
training environment will produce a greater transfer to
competition. Use of dynamic flexibility
and mobility should be emphasized throughout the four-year and annual plan.
Coaches should use a steady diet of dynamic flexibility/mobility for the
following reasons: prepares joints, aids muscle recruitment, event specificity,
wakes up the central nervous system, establishes correct motor pattern, and can
act as a catalyst for subsequent explosive actions. I use a dynamic flexibility
warm up circuit or the continuous warm up daily throughout the
year.

CONCLUSIONS

The
development of elite hurdlers requires approximately six to eight years of
specialized training and an additional four years of general physical
conditioning to reach top performance (Korchemny, 1996). Fifty per cent of the
world's best 400m hurdlers are over 27 years old (Stepanov, 1989) and average
age of the female world class 100m hurdler is between 24-30 years of age. With
this in mind, the U.S. continually looks to the college coach to target this
select group of upcoming hurdlers and develop them accordingly. The high school
or club coach is responsible for the development during the ages of 14-
17. The idea of periodization in set- ting up a
training program is a must for progress. A good coach will be able to train all
athletes together early in their program with the focus on developing all the
biomotor capabilities. Once prospective hurdlers are identified, an introduction
and encouragement to the hurdle events is necessary. Special attention must be
given to developing horizontal velocity, mechanical efficiency, mobility of the
hip joint, and hurdle rhythm. Following sound sprint training and exercise
selection principles, such as sequencing, is certain to be a critical asset to
the training program and hence overall
development. It should be noted that many
coaches find it difficult to transfer the planning and organization of training
to the actual practice. The practical application of any training theory relies
on the ability of the coach to "unfold the art." The art of coaching takes into
account common sense, intuition, and perceptions.

Transferring theory into practice when planning the training program can be made
easy with a training menu system or inventory. This piece of guidance can make a
significant impact in any training program. Use of training inventories can
better enable the coach to set up and follow the overall flow of an annual plan.
Planning is essential to coaching since there is so much information needed to
organize a training program. Inventories will be able to categorize each area,
for you to then choose the appropriate
exercises. As with any training program, there
is a need to continually assess and monitor. A coach can do this through
testing, biomechanical evaluation/film analysis; postural/alignment/joint
stability checks; tactical and technical evaluations; specific endurance
evaluation; and performances. Coaches should then make adjustments
accordingly. It is advisable for the coach to
experiment throughout the year to find the optimal means of eliciting peak
performances at the proper time. It is important for the coach to record or
write down as much information as possible in addition to the overall periodized
plan. A coach should write a justification for each segment of the training
plan, important observations at practices or at competitions, how the athletes
respond to you, others, and training. Many work with dozens of athletes during a
year and this assists the coach in retaining critical information for each
individual. Developing the hurdler physically
is just part of the challenge in coaching. Athletes in my program are developed
from a holistic standpoint. The concept here is based on development of mind,
body and soul together. Encouragement and support to become good citizens,
successful students, and quality people is the first and foremost objective that
any coach can be proud of.